The tall one is back, wakanomori is back; there are suitcases all over the wanderer's hut; the deer and the racoons are peering in inquisitively and wondering what the hullaballoo is all about. Well, not now; now it is silent; the two travelers are sleeping off their travel weariness, and the ninja girl, Little Springtime, and the healing angel, who stood watch until I could fetch the travelers, are sleeping off their waiting-weariness. But at 2 am, there was lots of activity.

And I am floating along, because my anxiety over this transition has vanished away!

It will be a hot day, so it is still summer, summer, summer. Though--now the cattails are strong and brown, and there is more and more goldenrod, but the monarch butterflies float by--how can I not be glad to see them?

And here it is, when the flower has gone to seed--see the black seeds?

The seeds are high in protein (black medick also fixes nitrogen--a friendly weed). Foraging books recommend "parching" them. I roasted them in a dry frying pan--perhaps burned them a little. They had a sharp taste, but not bad sprinkled on rice, and the healing angel said they were like poppy seeds. Theoretically you can grind them into flour, but I am sure it wouldn't be worth it. You'd have to gather for a day to make a handful of flour. But for sprinkling on rice, they're great. And I'll see what they're like sprouted, too.

And the wild grapes--there are lots of them at the abandoned farm! Which is good, because there are not enough at the abandoned village, but with this cache, I should be able to make jelly. And also at the abandoned farm is the escaped garlic, the not-yet-ripe elderberries, and some staghorn sumac.